National Park Service · Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness Area · MI

White Pine Backcountry Campground Permits

Wooded campsite with benches, food storage locker, and fall leaves in the ground.Photo · NPS
OpenStatus
ReservableAccess
7Sites

The place

White Pine Backcountry Campground is a primitive camp located in the southern district of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the lower peninsula of Michigan. It is located approximately two miles from the Trail's End Road trailhead on the Platte Plains hiking trail south of Empire just off of M-22. This year-round campground has six campsites, two shared fire rings, pit toilet, and two shared animal resistant food storage lockers. Plan to pack your water into the campsite, as there is no well in the campground. Keep reading

Summer temperatures range from upper 70s to 90 degrees F (25° to 32° C) during the day, and from the 50s to 70 degrees F (10° to 25° C) at night. Winters are cold, with daytime highs from 20° to 30° F (-7° to -1° C) and lows in the 10s and 20s F (-12° to -7° C). Snow is usually on the ground from late November through March. Recreation The Platte Plains trail system boasts more than 25 miles (40 km) of trails, some of which can be accessed a short walk away from the campground. Facilities This year-round campground has six campsites, two shared fire rings, pit toilet, and two shared animal resistant food storage lockers. Plan to pack your water into the campsite, as there is no well in the campground. Pack it in, pack it out. Whatever you bring in, you are responsible for bringing out. Trash receptacles are not provided. Natural Features The campground is within wilderness. Designated Wilderness areas are the most protected public lands in America. They are managed with restraint to preserve characteristics of wilderness and solitude. The Sleeping Bear Dunes Wilderness, within the boundaries of the Lakeshore, is over 30,000 acres. The beaches of Lake Michigan are about 1/2 mile (0.80 km) walk from camp. Although the lakeshore is long and narrow, it has northern hardwood and conifer forests, abandoned farm meadows, wetlands, lakes, streams, bogs, and splended examples of glacially formed landscape. The most prominent features in the park, and those for which it is named, are perched sand dunes above Lake Michigan. The overlooks at Sleeping Bear, Empire and Pyramid Point bluffs are about 400 feet (122 m) above the lake. Within 65 miles (105 km) of Lake Michigan shoreline and numberous inland lakes and streams, the park is wonderfully water-oriented.

The sites · 7

LoopSiteTypeMax rigElectricADA
White PineWhite Pine Campgroundhike to
White PineWhite Pine Campground 1hike to
White PineWhite Pine Campground 2hike to
White PineWhite Pine Campground 3hike to
White PineWhite Pine Campground 4hike to
White PineWhite Pine Campground 5hike to
White PineWhite Pine Campground 6hike to

Booking

183 daysBooking window before arrival

Recreation.gov default: most campsites can be booked six months prior to arrival date. Most campgrounds go on sale at 7am PT / 8am MT / 10am ET, but not always; check the facility Seasons and Fees tab. Some locations also offer shorter supplemental booking windows.

Book on recreation.gov

Fees

Camping Use Fee: The camping fee is$13 per campsite per night Entrance Fee: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore charges a variety of entrance fees, depending on how a visitor arrives at the park (by private vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, boat or on foot). All visitors must pay an entrance fee (separate from camping fees). The park also honors valid America the Beautiful-the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands annual or lifetime passes (also known as an interagency pass, e.g., Senior, 4th Grade, Military, etc.). For more information visit the park's Fees & Passes web page. Current Vehicle Fees: $25 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore vehicle entrance fee (1-7 days). $45 Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore annual pass (if camping more than 7 days). The Michigan Recreation Passport is not valid for entry at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which is a federally managed site.

Your representative

This campground sits in MI-01. This member’s public-lands record →

SRC · U.S. Census TIGER · MTJP Scorecard